Everything in ‘Disney’s Animal Kingdom’

They outnumber humans 200 million to one. They’ve lived on Earth more than 300 million years. They comprise 80 percent of the animal kingdom, so you’d think the numbers would count for something. Not so, says the army of insects that spins the yarn “It’s Tough to be a Bug” inside the 430-seat Tree of Life theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Dino “Sue” — an exact replica of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever unearthed — is Disney’s newest (and oldest) “cast” member in DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The replica of Sue, which was excavated in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1990, is on display […]

A shopping safari through Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an adventure
in itself. Discover the carved animal-themed backscratchers and
soapstone and wood carvings. Don’t miss stryracosaurus and other
dinosaur replicas straight from the DINOSAUR thrill ride.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrates animals in a big way, but it also tells a fascinating story about the diversity of all life — including the millions of plants populating the planet. It’s the first Disney theme park where the animal “cast” will eat the botanic “stage,” and it features plant “ambassadors” from every continent on […]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The undersea world that charmed audiences around the world in the Disney-Pixar smash-hit film “Finding Nemo” comes to life in a musical stage show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Featuring original songs by Tony Award-winning “Avenue Q” co-composer-creator Robert Lopez and a cappella musical “Along the Way” co-creator Kristen Anderson-Lopez, “Finding […]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — One of the great adventures involving Expedition Everest, the new thrill attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the one embarked upon by merchandise designers. Their thrill was conjuring the look and attitude of the yeti, a star attraction of Expedition Everest and a creature whose existence is one of legends […]

A perilous journey aboard a runaway train through the Himalayan mountains. Adventurous riders push deep into the lair of the feared yeti, guardian of the forbidden mountain. En route, they encounter torn tracks, spiral backwards through the fog into an ice cavern and dart into and out of the mountain in a high-speed adventure.

From tropical jungles and verdant forests to barren rock and frozen tundra, the mighty Himalayas reveal dramatic variations in climate and landscape. Disney Imagineers were challenged to re-create such a scene when designing Expedition Everest, the mountain attraction with coaster-like thrills opening in April at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort.

Like mountain homes of the Himalayas, the rustic rammed-earth and stacked-stone buildings of mythical Serka Zong sag and buckle under the weight of time. But time cannot erase the beauty of the structures’ intricately carved window frames nor the significance of the symbolic earth-based colors layered upon walls to protect against perceived dark forces.

Though situated on the Florida flatlands at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the mountain village anchoring the Expedition Everest attraction welcomes Walt Disney World guests with such architectural authenticity that those who’ve been to Nepal or Tibet can only nod in wonder.